Kosovo's Interior Minister Bajram Redzepi said that the Kosovo government will soon annul the 2008 directive which allowed the use of vehicles with license plates issued by the Serbian Interior Minister and bearing the initials of Kosovo towns.

Redzepi said that following the government decision, the owners will be given three months to re-register their vehicles, and those who paid customs in Serbia will not have to pay them again.

He said the re-registration should be completed between June and September.

Asked if the license plates issue might be discussed in the talks between Belgrade and Pristina, Redzepi said this is possible only on a reciprocal basis, and that the same goes for all documents.

If Serbia wants to join the EU, it has the obligation to cooperate with its neighbors, which includes freedom of movement, and there can be no discrimination in this regard, he said.

Redzepi reminded that vehicles from Serbia can enter Kosovo with both new and old plates, while the reverse is not true, since official Belgrade does not recognize plates issued by Kosovo's Interior Ministry.

After Belgrade started issuing new license plates at the beginning of the year, Kosovo's Interior Ministry banned vehicles with license plates bearing the initials of Kosovo towns.

People in northern Kosovo are protesting over the announcement that cars with license plates containing PR, GL, KM, PE, UR or PZ will be banned as of September.